


warm evocations

by undodgedbullet



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Multi, Other, y'all can just assume that every river12missy fic i write is dedicated to Micha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-20 11:06:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19375465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undodgedbullet/pseuds/undodgedbullet
Summary: Bill is curious about the photographs the Doctor keeps on his desk.





	warm evocations

**Author's Note:**

> takes place in s10 but also in an alternate universe bc timelines

“Doctor?” Bill asks one day when they find themselves sitting in the Doctor’s office after getting back from a trip in the TARDIS. She points at the three photographs on his desk and he immediately knows what she’s going to ask. He’s told her countless stories but never any about any of the people in the pictures. “Who are they?”

 

“June, Susan, and River. My daughter, granddaughter, and wife,” he answers and Bill nods, not at all surprised because that was pretty much what she had assumed. She had already known he was married and it makes sense that he’d have a child and grandchild.

 

“Where are they now?” she asks, and he has to hold back a smile because that’s Bill, always being curious and asking questions. 

 

“June and Susan are both off on their own adventures. I haven’t seen either of them in a while but I trust they’re doing well. And River is...” he trails off, because while he’s spent a lot of time trying to accept it, it’s still hard for him to talk about. He clears his throat and bravely continues on. “River is dead.”

 

“Oh.” This, she hadn’t been expecting. She’s seen the Doctor talking to the photograph before, having entire conversations with it, complaining to and joking with and asking for advice, as if she was really here to respond. But now that she thinks about it, it does make a lot of sense. Talking to her mother when she was alone and didn’t have anyone else is a habit she adopted, so she gets it. Maybe the Doctor spent a while where this photograph of his wife was all he had. The Doctor doesn’t hide things from her but he also isn’t completely open; Bill has been to so many places with this old man and seen so many things so she can’t even begin to imagine everything he’s been through, it’s not like he would be able to tell her about every single adventure he’s ever been on, but she has noticed that he tends to shy away from the more personal aspects of his life. She had just assumed he wasn’t an open person but maybe it’s because there’s some things that hurt him too much to talk about. “I’m sorry, Doctor.”

 

“It’s okay.” He smiles at her so she knows she hasn’t upset him. “She’s been dead for a while. I’ve had a lot of time to come to terms with it.”

 

“Yeah, but that doesn’t make it any easier.” Bill’s reply isn’t a question, because she knows. She _knows_ how hard and lonely it can be to deal with a loss by yourself and she wants to make sure the Doctor is aware she’s here for him if he ever needs someone to listen to him about this kind of thing, just like he’s been here for her. “Do you... want to talk about it?”

 

The Doctor is silent at first and Bill thinks that he’s going to say no, and that’s fine because she was honestly expecting him to, but he takes a deep breath and says, “River’s the most remarkable person I’ve ever known. I’ve seen a lot of things but _never_ have I met anyone like her.”

 

He gets this look in his eyes, like he’s remembering something that he’s lost but still really cares for and hopes to find again someday. Bill has never seen him with such adoration in his expression and it makes her smile because he clearly loves River a lot. 

 

“How did you two meet?” Bill asks. She doesn’t know how long his wife’s been gone but it’s sweet, the image of a younger Doctor being head over heels in love with this woman. 

 

“The first time I ever met her was the last time she ever met me.” Bill gives him a confused look so he continues. “Our timelines are moving in two different directions. Not completely opposite directions, it’s more like a zig-zag, but every time we meet we have to sync up and find out where we are in our lives so we don’t accidentally say something that the other shouldn’t know yet.”

 

“That sounds so hard, always meeting her in the wrong order,” Bill comments, though she shouldn’t be surprised because _everything_ about the Doctor is pointlessly complicated. 

 

“Yeah, but we got used to it. I think it was worse for her than it was for me, because the entire time she knew she was counting down to something. And when the day finally came, it was a version of me who hadn’t ever met her yet. I didn’t even know who she was.” He’s silent for a moment as he stares off into space and then he seems to suddenly come back to himself. It’s clear he doesn’t talk about this much. “Anyway. We got to spend some time together at the end, more time than I thought we’d have, and we were happy so that’s all I can ask for.”

 

“I’m glad you were happy together,” Bill comments, not wanting to make the Doctor think about anything he doesn’t want to. “She sounds really amazing.”

 

The Doctor nods in agreement. “You would’ve loved her.”

 

* * *

 

Missy looks up as the vault is opened and Bill appears. She’s momentarily surprised because the Doctor’s pets, fellow associates, buddies, whatever he likes to call them, don’t usually come knocking on her door for a social call. She tries to look as non-intimidating as possible; the Doctor had warned her about not scaring Bill away after last time, and the human does seem sort of uncomfortable right now so she offers a smile that she hopes is welcoming. 

 

“Hello,” Missy greets. Bill looks nervous and it makes Missy momentarily wonder if she’s been sent by the Doctor. He probably thinks she’s lonely and needs to interact with someone new since the only people she ever sees are him and the Egg. He wouldn’t be wrong about that, of course, but she hates that he thinks that. “What can I do for you?”

 

“Hi.” Bill walks closer to where Missy is sitting before she hesitates for a moment, not knowing what to say. She glances back at the door for a moment before just getting into it, “You know those three photographs the Doctor keeps on his desk? I asked him about them and he told me a few stories but he also mentioned you knew one of them. The really pretty one. Well, not that the other ones aren’t pretty too. But the older one with the curly hair?”

 

That clearly is not what Missy had been expecting. She visibly stiffens at the mention of River but nods. At least this means Bill hasn’t been sent by the Doctor. “Yes, I did know her. Very well.”

 

“Would you— would you mind telling me about her?” Bill asks. By now, the Doctor has told her various stories about River but for the most part he shies away from things that also involve Missy. Bill almost feels bad for asking her but it’s made her curious.

 

Memories of River always hurt but the Doctor has told her the pain it makes her feel is _good_ , it means she’s _improving_ , so she takes in a deep breath and smiles. Bill isn’t sure if Missy is smiling at her or at the memories but she remains silent as Missy begins.

 

“Well, she’s the Doctor’s wife and I’m his best friend slash enemy so I’m sure you can imagine how that went in the beginning.” She vividly remembers the first time she had met her, when she had tried to despise her but just couldn’t seem to be able to. “We got into some trouble and had to work together to get out of it and we didn’t quite get along, or want to get along, but we kept running into each other and getting into more trouble and it became a regular thing.”

 

She pauses, and Bill notices the look in her eyes when she talks about River is the same look that the Doctor gets when _he_ talks about River. She understands the Doctor because he’s married to her and from everything he’s said, he seems completely and utterly whipped, but Missy talks about her in the same way.

 

“If you hated her then why did you keep seeing her?” Bill questions. Missy laughs, as if the answer to what Bill is asking is obvious. 

 

“Well, it’s not every day your best friend falls in love with someone as exciting as River Song is,” Missy explains. “He usually just keeps to his boring humans — no offense — but suddenly there she was, marrying him and appearing everywhere in his life and all those other romantic things you people do these days.”

 

“The two of you and the Doctor,” Bill comments, pausing to think about it. “I can kind of see that.”

 

Missy tries not to smile. “It was good for a while, and then she...” she trails off but Bill knows what she’s not saying. 

 

“Were you... in love with her too?” Bill asks. She really hadn’t been intending to say that aloud but she can’t stop herself. 

 

“No,” Missy answers, and Bill wouldn’t be able to tell if she’s lying or not if it wasn’t for how quickly and defensive Missy is when she answers. “Do I look like I go around just falling in love with people?” 

 

“Well, no, but...” she says. Clearly love is a sore subject for Missy so she stops talking and changes the subject.


End file.
